Checking for heart beat on eggs

[katharinad]

This time I'm doing both, candling and checking for heart beats. First I candle to see blood vessels, and later I use a stethoscope to check for a heart beat when they are dark. That way you can toss the truly dead ones and don't have to worry about exploding eggs. Today is week 2 on my eggs and I had fun listening to their heart beats.

I've found a cheap stethoscope on ebay, I've bought it through "buy it now", and had it 3 days later. This one is brand new and excellent. Best is was under 4 dollars without shipping. I've paid a total of 7 dollars including shipping. Can't beat that and their service was great. So here is the link for the stethoscope I've purchased. Check out their other ones, because they do come in various colors. This one is actually a descent one, even if it is cheap. I think it will last for years.
Katharina

 

[SuziQ991]

What a great idea! I never thought of that. I have a stethoscope for my horses. Now I just have to find it

Thanks for the info

 

[Dingo]

I've been trying that with my Emu eggs, at 21 days I can't hear anything, but the other methods of telling are making me think they're developing.
I find it hard getting the stethoscope to stay in one spot while trying to listen, and if you hold the chestpiece or stem you may actually be listening to your own heart beat echoing through from your finger tips.

 

[katharinad]

You could try a single head stethoscope and see if that reduces the problem of hearing your own heart beat or perhaps get a new membrane for it. I went and checked the cheap one I've purchased and it does not transfer your own heart beat while holding the head. Even it you put your finger on the small head, which can also be used for listening. I've only tested it on duck eggs, so I'm not sure about such large egg. All I know the one I listed with a link does work for me.
Katharina

 

[Carra C]

You could try a single head stethoscope and see if that reduces the problem of hearing your own heart beat or perhaps get a new membrane for it. I went and checked the cheap one I've purchased and it does not transfer your own heart beat while holding the head. Even it you put your finger on the small head, which can also be used for listening. I've only tested it on duck eggs, so I'm not sure about such large egg. All I know the one I listed with a link does work for me.
Katharina

At what day are you able to hear a heartbeat? I have a neonatal stethoscope that my sister (a veterinarian) bought me for Christmas

 

[Susan Skylark]

This is a 15 year old post but an interesting concept. I’d like to know if it is actually feasible, I’d think the sound would be very faint and prone to artifact, but a curious idea!

 

[Susan Skylark]

So I tried this today with my littman cardiology III stethoscope (the Toyota of stethoscopes) with a double head, I used the neonatal side, and tried four different day 14 quail eggs (1 actively pipping and can hear live chick inside when held to ear). Plenty of artifact ‘heartbeat’ sounds while holding or steadying egg but can’t hear squat with egg resting on the diaphragm and not touching/moving and stethoscope head resting on a box. So either this doesn’t work, all my eggs are dead, or quail are too small. Would be interesting to try with larger eggs and a stethoscope without a flat diaphragm (the egg could sit inside the conical head). But any touching or movement sounds like a heart beat when it is just artifact, at least in this extensive trial! What is a bird’s heart rate? I’d assume it is 150 bpm plus, extrapolating from rodents and other high metabolism animals, which might be hard to hear as well.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Update, auscultating quail is hard even out of the shell! I got a slight, rapid beat for a few seconds but very faint, and I had the new chick right on the bell, inside an egg you don’t have a chance. Might work for turkeys or emus? Not quail or smaller poultry!

 

[Pigeony]

I would love to hear from someone incubating emus as to whether or not they hear anything with a stethoscope, it's so hard for people incubating such a large and dark egg to be sure their egg is even viable.